Since its last concert here, an Oct. 4, 1996 show at Coleman Coliseum, the band has become one of the biggest players on the jam band scene with a reputation for improvisation and variety in its sets as well as a rigorous touring schedule.

After losing founding lead guitarist Michael Houser to pancreatic cancer in 2002, the other members decided to keep the band going. This year, John Bell, Jojo Hermann, Jimmy Herring, Todd Nance, Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz and Dave Schools are celebrating Widespread Panic's 25th anniversary by hitting their usual tour stops before taking an indefinite break at the beginning of February next year.

Bell, lead singer and guitarist for the group, said keeping all of the original members together through the years has made the band stand out.

"That's one thing I look back and go 'Wow, that's really special,'" Bell said. "Because it definitely isn't like that with a lot of bands."

We talked to Bell about his plans during the hiatus, his thoughts on the new amphitheater in Tuscaloosa, and the decision to donate a dollar from every ticket sold for the 6:30 p.m. concert to the City of Tuscaloosa Storm Recovery fund.

Chris Pow: This year, Widespread Panic is celebrating 25 years of playing together. After Panic en la Playa, a destination concert event in Mexico at the end of February, the band will be taking an indefinite break. What was behind the decision to take the sabbatical?

John Bell: Just to basically take the opportunity to do something a little normal. Actually, the music thing is normal for us, so it would be abnormal. But you know, to just recharge your batteries and put your focus on something other than the music for a little bit, to kind of step back and refresh.

CP: What are all of you planning to do with your time off?

JB: Part of having time off is to not have any plans, so that's where I'm at with it. I do have some folks that are looking for me to fill in part of their schedules. All that's on hold. I want to wake up in the morning and know that I just get to do whatever I feel like doing.

CP: With the way the music industry has changed, a lot of focus has been put back on the performance. How has Widespread Panic had so much success as a touring act?

JB: Well, you know, we just started that way. Now, we've always been making recordings. That's one way you start getting gigs. You schlep around your recording and have other people watch you when you're in a spot. But when I'd go out of town I'd take a 45 with me and ask club owners for gigs. But we've always been touring. And so that was our chicken and egg scenario. A lot of other bands, it's songwriting and then recording, and then playing in front of people becomes a whole new step. For us, it was all about performing. We were writing and the stage, we were improvising on the stage, so we're just really comfortable at it. And the way we approach music on the stage, there's a certain type of person that likes that element of spontaneity.

CP: In one interview I read, you said that performing really hasn't changed over the years for you and the band. How would you describe the approach you have all taken to playing together?

JB: Well, you just get out there and try to score a touchdown. And that includes following your blockers, passing and handing off and not trying to run it in yourself every time.

CP: The band has always had an open audio taping policy for fans, but now all of the live shows are recorded at the soundboard and available digitally shortly after the concert ends. How does this fit in to the band's mission to connect with fans?

JB: It's kind of something that took a life of its own. When we first started playing, we'd be playing clubs or parties to maybe no more than 50 people, maybe as few as none. We'd allow folks to record, and we were even flattered they even had an interest when were just starting out at that level. We benefited by that because folks shared those tapes with their friends, so you left behind a little something for folks to remember you by. So the next time you came into town, maybe there would be twice as many people that showed up for the gig. So it was a very positive thing as far as getting remembered when we first started out. Then, it was a little tug-of-war between the record companies and stuff because they saw that kind of activity as detrimental to record sales.

And now, record sales have given way to not only Internet sales but file sharing, which can be done secretly and for free. It's a wild little world there, being able to make a living with your music and also being able to keep it out there. Recorded music has multiple personalities. It's great that folks can have it immediately, and it still is a money-making tool when folks are participating in the program -- in the legal part of the program. As far as Widespread Panic, it's something we'd always been a part of. We've been riding the wave of its evolution, and it's a pretty wild ride.

CP: During the late 80s and early 90s, Tuscaloosa was a frequent stop for the band.

JB: The Chukker!

CP: But, it's been 15 years since you've played here, because there wasn't a place suited for the band as its popularity grew. Now, there's a 7500-seat amphitheater that you can easily sell out. How do you feel about getting a brand-new venue built right in the middle of a huge fanbase for you?

JB: It's great. And I applaud the folks that built it that are taking the chance in these economic times. Those are the kind of the folks we need, in the music world and any kind of world -- good folks that are more adventure-based than fear-based. I think it's balls-out, very cool that somebody had a vision, they're going to follow that dream, and there it is.

CP: You were in Athens forming Widespread Panic during the middle of a huge boon for music there. In your opinion, what kind of steps could a college town like Tuscaloosa take to develop a creative culture like Athens has?

JB: I can only speak as an example of what Athens was like when we started out, and what it's still like. There were lots of not only nightclubs that had music, and all kinds of music -- there was country, there was punk, art rock, stage performance that was a combination of sometimes music, sometimes basic tomfoolery, there was rock 'n' roll like we were playing. B-52s and R.E.M. started a more musical transition from punk rock into what became new wave and stuff like that. The thing that was hip was -- and it wasn't just clubs... there were parties, there were things going down that were semi-organized after hours as well -- there was just no exclusivity. There were all kinds of music happening and there was a place for it to happen. So that's all you've got to do. Build it and they will come.

CP: What will your musical outlet be when you're off tour?

JB: I work in my own studio and I have a guitar handy all the time or a keyboard or something like that. When I'm awake -- well, even when I'm not awake, my brain's always cooking up something. I assume I'll still be in a creative mode and I just assume that I won't be performing. There will be a Hannah's Buddies gig at the beginning of April. That's the charity I put on for spinal muscular atrophy.

CP: Are you all leaving the future of the band pretty open-ended when you step away at the beginning of February?

JB: It is the way it's always been. You basically just take it one show at a time, one year at a time. And the bottom line is, we do what we want to do.

CP: Looking back, what are you most proud of when it comes to this band?

JB: Hmm. Superlatives, dealing with superlatives. Just to give you an answer, I'd say what I'm most proud of: aside from Mike passing away -- he really did go kicking and screaming -- it's the same bunch of guys from the moment of inception. Sunny came in maybe six months after we became a band, and Jojo was in there by '91, so he's been with us 20 years. All the same guys.

CP: A dollar from each ticket is going to tornado relief in the area. How do you feel to be a part of that?

JB: That's pretty much a no-brainer. Stuff happens, and if we're in a position to help out a little while we're coming in for something that was already on the books and scheduled. Hopefully we're spinning a little fun and distraction, but if we can leave a little bit from the ticket price there to help out, then that's really truly the least we can do.